Month: November 2006

  • It’s A Wrap!

    CURRICULUM READING

     The Church Histories by Eusebius     Good solid reading.  It’s much like reading Foxes Box of Martyrs.  Who can really say they enjoyed it?  The stories were more interesting than I had anticipated.

    Confessions by Augustine        My son and I are on the last book.  This book really deserves a blog entry of its own full of quotes.  After Augustine’s chapters on the torment he went through– the divided heart he experienced wanting to follow Christ and yet not wanting to give up sex–the reader feels the relief that floods over him when he reaches to point of surrender.  I surprise myself by continuing to be surprised at how readable “ancient” books are. 

    Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss     I thought this would be a creative, new approach to punctuation, an area that needs strengthening in my student/son.  I had a blast and enjoyed our read alouds. He cringed and considered it long-suffering, emphasis on suffering.  Face it folks, this book is preaching to the choir.  If you need help with it’s and its I think there are more efficient ways to learn punctuation in guide books, but they are not near as fun.

    Nine Taylors by Dorothy Sayers   This Lord Peter Wimsey mystery was both entertaining and edifying.  If you enjoy Lewis, Tolkien and Chesterton and haven’t yet read Sayers (the case with me a few months ago) jump in. You will not regret it.  Sayers is an author to be reckoned with. I enjoyed  learning about campology  (bell-ringing).  The analogy of St. Paul’s (the church in the book) with Noah’s Ark is rich with deeper meaning. 

    Top 500 Poems edited by William Harmon     Reading a poem aloud is part of our morning routine.  Many of the poems last month were Shakespeare’s sonnets.  The book is arranged in chronological order.  We’re currently reading Thomas Campion.  Good stuff.

    CHALLENGE READING

    I planned to read Civilization of the Middle Ages.  It didn’t happen and will go on the Winter Challenge.

    CULTIVATION READING

    I finished The Imitation of Christ and started Martin Luther’s Table Talk.  I find it hard to get into Table Talk and will probably substitute another book this winter.   The Greatest  English Classic by Cleland McAfee was more informational than inspirational, but worth the reading.

    COMFORT & JOY

    I read a few P. G. Wodehouse titles and agree with (?? Diane at Circle of Quiet ??) that Wodehouse should be read interspersed between other reading due to the reoccurring themes.   I read two Tobias Wolff titles:  This Boy’s Life and Old School.  That old fox Wolff tricked me again.  He wrote about visiting authors coming to the tony prep school he attended: Robert Frost, Ayn Rand and Ernest Hemingway.  It is true that Robert Frost came; however, a compelling narrative of Ayn Rand’s interaction with students and faculty is fiction. 

    I acquired a set (not complete) of Dickens that I’d like to jump into this winter.  But first, I’m trolling in Trollope.  I listened to The Warden on Librivox and am halfway through Barchester Towers. I find this perfect reading at the end of the day when I only have the strength to keep my eyes open for 15 minutes.  My beloved Latin teacher said that Anthony Trollope is “more controlled than Dickens.”  It is on his recommendation that I took up Trollope.  I know there are a lot of Jane Austen fans out there who would appreciate this author.

    CREATIVITY

    Franz Mohr’s My Life with the Great Pianists was a wonderful read.  I think there is a bit of voyeur in each of us.  It was fun to learn about Horowitz, Rubenstein, Glenn Gould, and Van Cliburn;  I  took note of the artists they  preferred to play and certain concerts that were remarkable performances.  Isn’t our technological age so unfathomable?  You can read about a live performance from the piano tuner’s perspective and hop onto the net and find that very performance on a CD.   Mohr wrote that no one comes close to approaching Glenn Gould’s talent in playing Bach.  Allrightythen!  Let’s have a listen.

    I just dipped into Edith Shaeffer’s Hidden Art and David Allen’s Getting Things Done.  I’m halfway through Quiller-Couch’s The Art of Writing.  However, last night we watched the film version of 84, Charing Cross Road and I’m all re-inspired to spend more time with Q. 

    Listening to How to Listen to and Understand Great Music can be likened to a book on tape.  This Teaching Company course by Robert Greenberg is superlative.  Yep, I said superlative.  As in: The Best!  I’m listened up to Beethoven’s era and have enjoyed it immensely.  My husband and son, not musicians, get magnetically pulled into hanging out in the kitchen and listening.  Greenberg is that compelling.  The last concert I attended was enriched by what I’d learned from these tapes.  And Greenberg introduced us to Bach’s Passacaglia for which I will be forever grateful.

    CURIOSITY

    Add David McCullough’s The Johnstown Flood to the list of great historical narratives.  Reading through it was a great prelude to visiting the spot where the dam broke and the two museums in the area.  My admiration for McCullough continues to increase with each book I’ve read. 

    Kepler’s Witch by James Connor is a strange title for a biography of Johannes Kepler.  I read this book on the elliptical machine with a highlighter in one hand.  I have squiggly highlights throughout the book.  I have thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve read so far.  I think of Janie, our ARC leader at Seasonal Soundings, who loves astronomy, each page I read.   I’m only  part way through.  This book is written in the style of Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel, with narrative interspersed with reproductions of actual letters to/from Kepler. 

    Who has time to read this bulky blog entry?  Congratulations for making it through.  It has been a very profitable and pleasurable three months of reading. 

  • Indulge Me For A Moment

    I try not to overdo the grandma thing: I have not yet approached a stranger and offered to show family pictures.  [thought strikes me]  But that’s what I’m doing now isn’t it?  Horrors!  I’ve become the woman people hide from!

    This is my oldest son with his son.  They are some of the greatest delights of my life.  Dependability and responsibility have been hallmarks of this young man’s life.  I snuck a peek during prayer group this week and I saw him holding his beloved son on his lap and demonstrating folded hands and a quiet posture.  The toddler mimicked his daddy.  No greater joy, folks, no greater joy.

  • Thanksgivings

    I’m thankful for the gloaming,

    old hymns in minor keys,

    Reuben sandwiches and Subaru
    engines.

     

    For reoccurring forgiveness for
    besetting sins;

    wood heat,

    Bach’s Passacaglia and lavender. 

     

    For long-distance phone calls,

    library cards,

    BBC films

    and another leaf in our expanding
    table. 

     

    I’m grateful for a grandson and a
    stack of books,

    for garlic sizzling in olive oil,

    for book-lined walls and long car
    drives.

     

    French Onion soup,

    Sunday dinners,

    George Herbert’s poetry,

    Two Buck Chuck Cabernet Sauvignon,

    toddler laughter and uninterrupted
    sleep.

     

    Truth, beauty and goodness,

    goodness and mercy,

    mercy and grace. 
     

     

    I’m grateful for Google,

    down comforters and

    freedom from
    debt.

     

    I praise God for
    reconciliation,

    Vaughn Williams and psalms from the
    Vulgate;

     

    For manly hugs and kisses,

    Hand-knit socks,

    alliteration and Carl
    Larsson.

     

    Declared
    righteousness,

    promises kept and

    Exodus.

     

    Extended family, the piano,
    lingering meals,

    Scented candles, speech, and
    memories.

     

    Weddings, daughters-in-law,

    the researching, thinking and
    writing of David McCullough,

    extra sharp cheddar cheese, and
    Amazon.com boxes.

     

    Pesto, bubble wrap, smiles that
    light up the whole face,

    Asparagus, chai, and good drinking
    water.

     

    Daughters who care for their elderly
    mothers,

    Sons-in-laws who do the
    same;

     

    I’m thankful for the death of death,
    for mingled tears,

    For temporary sighs and sorrow and
    the hope of the future.

     

    Cobb salad, Athanasius, whole wheat
    toast.

    Independent sons, reading evenings,
    growing families.

     

    I give thanks for 100% cotton,
    loving rebukes,

    Laughter in the morning and southern
    windows.

     

    For nostrils, fingernails and belly
    buttons,

    For DSL, clematis, and airplane
    travel,

    Different cultures and customs, and
    the fun exploration of such,

    Enduring
    friendships.

     

    I’m thankful for home.

     

    “Oh give thanks
    unto the Lord, for He is good.  His mercy endures
    forever.”

  • Monday Marriage Prayer

    Lord, heavenly Father,  Thou hast joined us in this holy wedlock that
    together, hand in hand, we courageously walk life’s journey. 

    Bless our
    home with Thy divine presence and fill our hearts with a love for Thee,
    who hast sent Thy Son into the world to hallow every walk of life.

    As we daily receive Thy divine forgiveness, make us also forgiving
    toward each other. 

    As Thou art merciful and kind, full of compassion
    and long-suffering, teach us likewise to be thoughtful, considerate,
    and reasonable as we face together the problems of our home.

    In our joys let us not forget Thee. 

    In our sorrows lets us not despair
    of Thy help. 

    Protect us as we go in and out of our home. 

    Keep us
    faithful and steadfast to Thee and Thy Word,
    through Jesus Christ our
    Lord.  Amen.

    From the Lutheran Book of Prayer

  • November Haiku

    roots in the sky
    the bare tree turns
    an upside down day

    Haiku by Jane Reichhold

  • Fine Art Friday, J. Clark

    Private and Confidential by J. Clark
    Victoria Lane

    These days I feel richer than a Rockefeller.  Blessing upon blessing has drenched me until I’m quite in danger of drowning in goodness and mercy.   ‘All this, and heaven too?’ is a refrain that echoes throughout the day. Elizabeth Barrett Browning stated it perfectly: “Earth’s crammed with heaven.”

                                                                                

    To the extent that the medium of the web can be used destructively and for evil
    purposes is as much as it can be redeemed and used to build, fortify,
    strengthen and embellish. 

    I have been exposed to wonderful new
    authors, delicious menus and recipes, arresting quotes, beautiful art,
    thoughtful musings, penetrating commentary, thought-provoking analysis,
    and old-fashioned friendship in my sojourn through the sites.

    In 2006 I have filled three journals with quotes, thoughts, comments -
    many from my trips around the web-block, made some scrumptious dishes,
    been inspired by you to stretch and grow, continued online discussions
    around our own dinner table, listened to achingly beautiful music, put
    more time into planning my reading, and acquired stacks of books! 

    Thank you for the information; thank you for the inspiration; and thank
    you     for the anticipation of more in the future.

    A doctored Albert Anker print.


  • Norman Rockwell, Freedom From Want

    Now with thanksgiving we bring on this day
    Our praise to the Father, who formed us of clay,
    Whose breath of creation, our spirits to fill,
    Refashioned our loving to live by His will.

    Now with thanksgiving we bring in this place
    Acclaim to the Spirit, who guides us in grace
    Unto the Redeemer, whose sacrifice shown
    Provides us a pattern of love for our own.

    May our hosannas returning above
    Bring joy to the One who has brought us our love,
    May we to each other in gratitude give
    New psalms of thanksgiving in lives that we live.

    Borghild Jacobson, alt.
    Tune Slane (same as Be Thou My Vision)

  • Rambling about Poetry When I Should Be Making Pies

    I just had an Aha! moment:  the daily email from Writer’s Almanac ended with this George Eliot quote:

    “If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life,
    it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat,
    and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence.”
    ~ George Eliot

    So that’s where she got the title of her book!  She is Suzanne U. Clark and her book is entitled The Roar on the Other Side, A Guide for Student Poets.  And it’s one of those wonderful books that I dipped into when it first arrived and one of those wonderful books which eventually was left languishing on my shelf.  [Janie, we're doing a Winter Reading Challenge, right?  This book will be on my list.]

    How do you feel about poetry?  My father loved poetry, absolutely adored it.  When he was dying of pancreatic cancer, one of his students visited him in the hospital and they exchanged lines of poetry in the fashion of Marianne and Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility.  

    I’ve been lukewarm about poetry until about ten years ago.  Now the reading of a poem is part of our daily morning routine.  We’ve read our way through a few anthologies and have several poetry collections in our queue.  One of the bennies of a modest familiarity of general poetry is that when an allusion or outright reference to a poem is dropped in literature, we usually catch it.   Additionally, I think the daily drip, drip of words crafted together will infuse into us a sense of their beauty. 

    Please! Some days the poems are dogs.  My son and I both roll our eyes and mumble what-ev-er.  Some days I’m delighted and my son is tolerant. On occasion, however, the words hit their mark and arrest us both. 

  • Write. Think. Learn.

    My wonderful sister-in-law alerted me to a Q and A from November 3, 2006 Aspen Institute with David McCullough here.  When I heard these words, I stopped what I was doing and transcribed his spoken words on writing and thinking:

    “The old expression of working your thoughts out on paper [...]  We’ve all had the experience of sitting down to write a term paper, or an essay, or a report; and in the process of writing we come up with an idea we didn’t know we had. 

    And, the mere act of writing focuses the brain in a way nothing else does.  That’s why all courses in college and high school ought to require writing, not just English courses.  Young people ought to be required to write all the time and be judged, be graded, at how well they are expressing themselves.

    So when our leaders are not working their thoughts out on paper — that’s a disadvantage for them.  And their words ar so often being provided by other people.  And the words being provided by other people aren’t just the words–it’s the ideas being provided by other people.

    It’s thinking! That’s what writing is! That’s why it’s so hard.  It’s thinking.

    I don’t know, you have this all the time, people say to me, ‘How much of your time is spent writing and how much of your time is spent doing research?’  Perfectly good question.

    Nobody ever says, ‘How much time do you spend thinking?’  And the thinking is often the most important part of it.”

    Adapting McCullough’s thoughts and borrowing from Mental Multi-vitamin: 

    Write.  Think.  Learn.

  • Good Stuff

    A lovely amazon.com box came today. 

    As I opened it and lovingly handled the books, feeling the covers, looking at illustrations, I realized how profoundly I am edified by my cyber buddies. 

    Every single book was a result of a blog writer who quoted, noted, shared, and recommended. 

    I was feeling very left out when I read so many references to Wendell Berry and had not a clue who he was and what he had written.  Jayber Crow seems to have taken the world of classical homeschooling by storm.  I went to our local library and checked out two collections of Wendell Berry’s short stories.  Short stories seemed perfect for this moment in life: I’m in a girlfriend’s wedding this Saturday and my son will be getting married in less than a month.  At the same time I checked out David McCullough’s biography of  Teddy Roosevelt, Mornings on Horseback.  McCullough could write about rice pudding and I’d read it, but TR is just too great a subject.

    It near killed me to read several Berry short stories without a highlighter or pencil in my hand.  After Patti mentioned reading McCollough’s book multiple times, I was certain I needed to purchase and mark up my own copy.

    My wonderful husband has enjoyed the few Wendell Berry short stories I’ve read aloud to him, but he has dibs on Dorothy Sayer’s book.  That’s fine: I’m not sure when we’ll have time to read but it is glorious to have such fine books to anticipate.  This Wikipedia article says this about Berry: 

    His nonfiction
    serves as a long defense of the life in which he finds value. According
    to Berry, this good life includes: sustainable agriculture, appropriate technologies,     healthy rural communities, the Gospels, connection to place, the pleasures of good food, stewardship of Creation, husbandry, good work, local economics, the miracle frugality, reverence, peacemaking, and the interconnectedness of life.

    Bring it on!